Backlog Management Guide
Overview
SpecWeave's backlog feature allows you to plan and organize future work without violating WIP (Work In Progress) limits. Backlog increments are planned but not yet started, providing a clear separation between active work and future plans.
When to Use Backlog
Use the backlog when you want to:
- Plan ahead: Create specifications for future features without starting work
- Prioritize work: Have multiple ideas and need to queue lower-priority items
- Handle stakeholder requests: Capture requested features for later implementation
- Wait for approvals: Spec is ready, but waiting for decisions before starting
Key Differences
| Aspect | Backlog | Active | Paused |
|---|---|---|---|
| Started? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Counts towards WIP? | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Use Case | Future plans | Current work | Blocked work |
| When to use | Low priority, future | Ready to work | Waiting on dependency |
Commands
Move to Backlog
# Create increment and move to backlog
/sw:increment "Feature B"
/sw:backlog 0032 --reason="Low priority, focus on 0031 first"
Resume from Backlog
# When ready to start work
/sw:resume 0032
/sw:do
View Backlog
# Show all backlog increments
/sw:status --backlog
Backlog Workflow
1. Plan Multiple Features
# Create three feature specs
/sw:increment "User Authentication" # 0030
/sw:increment "Payment Integration" # 0031
/sw:increment "Email Notifications" # 0032
# Prioritize: Start with 0030, backlog the rest
/sw:backlog 0031 --reason="Lower priority, do after auth"
/sw:backlog 0032 --reason="Depends on auth completion"
# Now work on 0030
/sw:do
Result:
- ✅ 0030 is active (counts towards WIP)
- ✅ 0031 and 0032 are in backlog (do NOT count towards WIP)
- ✅ Clear prioritization
2. Capture Stakeholder Requests
# Stakeholder requests new feature during sprint
/sw:increment "Admin Dashboard" --type feature
/sw:backlog 0033 --reason="Requested by stakeholders, plan for Q2"
# Continue current work without interruption
/sw:do
Benefit: Capture ideas immediately without context switching
3. Progressive Planning
# Morning: Plan your week
/sw:increment "Feature A" # High priority
/sw:increment "Feature B" # Medium priority
/sw:increment "Feature C" # Low priority
# Organize by priority
/sw:backlog 0035 --reason="Medium priority, do after 0034"
/sw:backlog 0036 --reason="Low priority, nice-to-have"
# Start with highest priority
/sw:do
# Later: Complete 0034, start next
/sw:done 0034
/sw:resume 0035 # Pull from backlog
/sw:do
Backlog Status Display
View All Statuses
/sw:status
🔥 Active (1):
🔧 0034-feature-a [feature] (50% done)
🗂️ Backlog (2):
📦 0035-feature-b [feature]
In backlog: 2 days
Reason: Medium priority
📦 0036-feature-c [feature]
In backlog: 2 days
Reason: Low priority
⏸️ Paused (0)
✅ Completed (33)
Filter Backlog Only
/sw:status --backlog
🗂️ Backlog (2):
📦 0035-feature-b [feature] (in backlog 2 days)
Reason: Medium priority
📦 0036-feature-c [feature] (in backlog 2 days)
Reason: Low priority
💡 Start work: /sw:resume <id>
Best Practices
✅ Do
- Plan ahead: Create specs for next sprint/quarter
- Clear reasons: Always provide context for why it's backlog
- Review regularly: Weekly backlog grooming (prioritize, abandon obsolete)
- Small batches: Don't let backlog grow unbounded (max 10-15 items)
- Prioritize clearly: Establish order of execution
❌ Don't
- Don't use as procrastination: Backlog ≠ avoiding work
- Don't confuse with paused: Paused = blocked, Backlog = not started
- Don't abandon WIP discipline: Backlog doesn't mean unlimited active work
- Don't let it grow unbounded: Review and clean up regularly
- Don't mix priorities: Keep backlog ordered by value
Backlog vs Paused: When to Use Which?
Use Backlog When:
- ❌ Work hasn't started yet
- ✅ Lower priority than active work
- ✅ Waiting for decisions/approvals before starting
- ✅ Planning future sprints/quarters
Use Paused When:
- ✅ Work already started
- ✅ Blocked by external dependency (API keys, approvals)
- ✅ Temporary interruption (code review, waiting on teammate)
- ✅ Deprioritized but progress already made
Example: E-Commerce Platform
# Sprint Planning: Plan 5 features
/sw:increment "Product Catalog MVP" # 0050 - P0
/sw:increment "Shopping Cart" # 0051 - P0
/sw:increment "Checkout Flow" # 0052 - P1
/sw:increment "Payment Providers" # 0053 - P1
/sw:increment "Order Tracking" # 0054 - P2
# Prioritize: MVP first, rest to backlog
/sw:backlog 0051 --reason="P0 - Do after product catalog"
/sw:backlog 0052 --reason="P1 - Depends on cart"
/sw:backlog 0053 --reason="P1 - Depends on checkout"
/sw:backlog 0054 --reason="P2 - Post-MVP feature"
# Week 1: Build product catalog
/sw:do # Work on 0050
# Complete and pull next from backlog
/sw:done 0050
/sw:resume 0051 # Pull shopping cart from backlog
/sw:do
# Week 2: Shopping cart blocked by Stripe API keys
/sw:pause 0051 --reason="Waiting for Stripe production keys"
# Pull next from backlog while waiting
/sw:resume 0052 # Start checkout flow
/sw:do
# Keys arrive, resume cart, move checkout back to backlog
/sw:backlog 0052 --reason="Pausing to finish cart first"
/sw:resume 0051
/sw:do
Key Insight: Backlog provides flexibility while maintaining WIP discipline!
Warnings and Notifications
Large Backlog Warning
If backlog grows too large (10+ items), /sw:status warns:
🗂️ Backlog (12):
📦 0040-feature-a [feature]
... (11 more)
⚠️ Large backlog! Consider:
- Abandoning obsolete items
- Consolidating similar features
- Reviewing priorities
💡 Actions:
/sw:resume <id> # Start highest priority
/sw:abandon <id> # Remove obsolete items
Stale Backlog Items
Items in backlog >30 days trigger review prompts:
🗂️ Backlog (1):
📦 0045-old-feature [feature]
In backlog: 35 days
⚠️ STALE! Review or abandon?
💡 Consider:
- Still relevant? → /sw:resume 0045
- No longer needed? → /sw:abandon 0045
Related Commands
/sw:increment- Create new increment/sw:backlog <id>- Move to backlog/sw:resume <id>- Move from backlog to active/sw:pause <id>- Pause active work (different from backlog)/sw:status- View all increments/sw:status --backlog- View backlog only